Anyone have a part number for a low-buck radiator for NA Miata and LSx motor?
I've searched through several builds but most use a radiator that is above $600. That won't fit my build nor budget.
I'm doing a home-built conversion and I'm nearing the point where I need to get a radiator.

My conversion is without AC and power steering, so it relatively roomy.

I might option putting the radiator inside the core support and provide more room in front of the motor.

I just went through the same process and am inistalling THIS and THIS. It is beyond huge but I got it in and I think stock 2002 Camaro radiator hoses will work with it with just a little fiddling. I can post up some photos if you want to see it.

I picked up a Mishimoto 3 core rad for $275 shipped, then got a slimline dual fan kit with Aluminum shroud for $80 shipped, both from eBay. The fit and finish is excellent and the fans will work as pushers if I have to front mount them due to lack of space. Being that the Griffin I put in Nadine used stock fans and cost North of $600, I think I did good.

Pull your A/C condenser, and find a second rad from as small a car as you can find. Mount it where the Condensor was and then route some hoses or better yet, tubing. You will gain cooling and have a cheap system to work with. Shows off fab skills for the judges too!

About the biggest you can possibly fit between the frame rails is 26 1/2 and max height is 19. Just a matter of wandering the you pull it yard with a tape measure. I would bet something like a S10 or some other smaller truck would be in that ball park. I would try for something with at least a bigger v6 or v8 in it so it has the capacity to keep you cool out there.

Pull your A/C condenser, and find a second rad from as small a car as you can find. Mount it where the Condensor was and then route some hoses or better yet, tubing. You will gain cooling and have a cheap system to work with. Shows off fab skills for the judges too!

Thanks, that was a great idea. I spent about 3 hours checking out everything in the junk yard. Basically the small imports are one core which would give negligible improvement OR they 2 cores and were too wide OR they were small and suitable (Honda Civics) but no longer in the car. The Civics have a really cool small condenser that could mount just about anywhere.

Quote:

About the biggest you can possibly fit between the frame rails is 26 1/2 and max height is 19. Just a matter of wandering the you pull it yard with a tape measure. I would bet something like a S10 or some other smaller truck would be in that ball park. I would try for something with at least a bigger v6 or v8 in it so it has the capacity to keep you cool out there.

Thanks for the dimensions.

I found one that has enough capacity but is too tall It will at least fit in the car sort of. I decided to use it anyhow and will either angle it or mount it a little higher up. Haven't decided yet. I don't want to say what it's from until I'm sure it will work.

I hear ya.
That is why I was checking to see if anybody had actually tried one.
I do know they cool hugely better than stock Miata radiators but that does not tell me one would be workable and sufficient for an LS build.
One guy did try one on a 5.0 build but I have no idea how that would translate to an LS build.

Using a miata 2" aluminum rad, just weld the upper inlet the right direction.

And still using the stock fan.

I know this is old, but just so someone doesn't see this and potentially harm their cooling system. If the Miata radiator is a standard downward flow single pass radiator, you cannot have the inlet and outlet on the same side. You want the flow to be diagonal over the core so it makes best use of the heat exchanger. In order to have the inlet/outlet on the same side requires a double pass, usually in cross-flow configuration. To use a Miata radiator, you'd need to run a cooling hose from the lower driver side port to across the bay to the water pump.

BGordon, I was going to use a Mishimoto. It depends largely on your application and integration. I'm sure a Mishimoto with a good coolant (ie: more water, less glycol, plus water wetter) and good ducting to the radiator would sufficiently cool a street build, and maybe even some hard driving. LS motors are generally efficient at cooling, so if you use the steam ports to your advantage and possibly an expansion tank, you may not need as large of a radiator as say a 350 hp turbo Miata.

With that said, the Mishimoto cap will NOT fit under an LS7 snorkel intake (on an NB at least). It also has the lower port on the wrong side, so the hose/tubing required to make it fit is not ideal. I decided to sell my Mishimoto radiator (sold for $180 shipped after using it for a few years) and got a double pass crossflow radiator with a super thick 3" core. It's just a universal rad that I made mounts for, but IMO it was worth going to a radiator that's more designed for the application. I'm designing for racing, so I wasn't willing to sacrifice with cooling. I have not got mine running yet, so I can't comment on effectiveness. YMMV.

I went with the 949 Racing cross-flow radiator a while ago after first using the Mishimoto racing radiator. I had to develop a method that runs the engine vent tube outside the radiator and places it in a upper radiator hose adapter. Driving the car in 90 degree Florida weather in stop and go traffic and driving with A/C on the radiator has not given me any over-heating problems since changing radiators. I also modified my fan shroud to flow air like the newer Corvettes, it now looks like extreme Swiss cheese. I use two high volume after market fans with the cooling system too. The car water temps will run around 210 in stop and go traffic and in the 190's while moving.